Apparatus for applying coatings to bars, rods, pipes, &amp;c.



f "APPARATUS ron APPLYl W.; LcoLE.;

ING COITYIIWGST02 BARS, RODS, FIRES, APPLICATION FILED ngel-2h 1911.`

Rant@ n; Apr; 23, 1918.- r 1 l2 SHEETS-SHEET l. a

fml'l'lu IlIl W. L. COLE.

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING COATINGS T0 BARS, RUDS, PIPES, c.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21. 1911.

23 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[lllllill WILLIAM L. COLE, 0F MILE END, LONDON, ENGLAND.

ArrAnArus Fon APPLYING coATrNes 'ro BARS, nons, Piras, ew.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 3Min.

Applicationlled December 27, 1917. `Serial No. 209,019.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that ll, WiLmAM Lawns lft is the object of this invention to pro? vide for the automatic application of the coatings in such a manner as to avoid waste,

or contamination of surrounding objects with the coating material, while insuring that the coating shall be regularly and uni formly applied.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a diagrammatic view, and Fig. 2 a sectional detail view, showing the application of the invention to the coating of rods with materials applied in solution or suspension; Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a modification; Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a further application of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, a tank a containing a supply of the uid such as a varnish or paint, is arranged in a suitable position, and a pipe b leading out from near the bottom of the tank communicates with a pump c which may for instance be asmall rotary pump. rllhis pump delivers the fluid through the pipe d to one side of the fitting c. lff the rod j' to be coated is a round rod` or a tube, the fitting e will be tubular and will be arranged as a cross piece as shown in the piping through which the coating fluid passes. The fitting e is so formed that the coating material can flow completely around'the rod 7 as it passes through the fitting, as seen in Fig. 2. The pipe g which carries the coating vmaterial away from the said fitting, for example at the bottom thereof, is connected to a small chamber l1), and through a pipe i to a pump 7c which-may be similar to the pump c but has a higher rate of 'suction and delivery;

if the pump 7c is identicalwith the pump c, it may be driven at a higher speed for eX ample. rlhe pump k delivers the fluid back again through pipe Z to the upper .part of the tank a, and any air delivered with the fluid separates therefrom in the tank, which is open at the top to the atmosphere. The bar or rod f to be coated is fed through the machine by hand or by any suitable feeding mechanism such as a pair of feed rolls n.. Suitable feeding devices are known and in use in many existing types of machinery, and need not therefore be illustrated in detail here. The rod f approximately fills the apertures at the ends of the transverse fitting e, but there is a little clearance around the rod, particularly on the outgoing side as seen in Fig. 2, in order to allow for the additional thickness upon the rod corresponding to the coating. if no steps were taken to prevent the coating material from spurting out around the rod at each side of the fitting, it would inevitably escape in this Way, spoiling the regularity of the coating and probably contaminating the machine and everything about it with the coating material. The use of the second pump lo however, which has a higher rate of suction and delivery than the first pump c, insures that there shall be a suction away from the fitting e tending to draw away more than the amount of coating material fed thereto. Only outside air can be drawn in to supply this additional `quantity, and it is so drawn in at either 'side as indicated by the arrows in the figures. The result is that only the thin coating desired can be retained on the rod f as it passes out of the fitting; the air which is being drawn in sweeps back 'into the fitting any excess of the material which might tend to adhere to the rod. The air drawn in escapes from the fluid as already stated when it is discharged into the tank a, and only fluid is drawn out from the bottom of the tank through the pipe b, and Vdev livered to the fitting by the` feed pump c working at the lower rate of delivery. Either the pipe b or the pipe d may Ihave a cock in it, as indicated at lm, which can be used for choking or regulating the rate of flow. Thepipes g, c' and Z may be of larger section than the pipes-b and d, as they will correspond with that figure.

carry some air as well as the coating fiuid, but this is not essential, as thefiuid can travel `faster through the one part of the circuit than the other. .The chamber L is principally useful in starting up the apparatus, when the pump c commences to deliver the iuid before the pump k has created a sufficient suction in the pi e z' to draw in air and to prevent the fluid rom spurting out at the ends of the fitting e. The chamber h then serves to receive and collect the fiuid for a few moments until the pump Z: has created the necessary suction.

The invention is suitable for use in applying any coating material to wires, rods, tubes and so forth which can be fed through the machine in lengths, or to lathsor moldings of wood and the like of any section which can conveniently be passed through a transverse correspondingly shaped slot in a fitting e arranged in a line of piping.

It will be apparent that the essential feature of the invention is the continuous supply of the coating material or fluid to the fitting through which the article to be coated passes, and the continuous withdrawal of the fiuid at the other side of the said fitting by some device tending to draw out more of the coating material or fluid than can reach it, so that there is a reduced pressure inside the fitting causing some air to be drawn in and carried away with the fluid. Any other convenient arrangement equivalent to that of Fig. 1 may be used to attain this result. For example, Fig. 3 indicates diagrammatically an arrangement wherein only one pump /c is used, the tank a being arranged in an elevated position so that the supply of fiuid tothe fitting e takes place by gravity, controlled by a cock lm. The pump lo thus serves to supply the whole energy required by pumping up the fluid to the elevated tank a, on the one hand, andV drawing out fluid and air from the fitting e on the other hand.

The coated rod as it passes out from the fitting or cross piece e, may pass through a drying apparatus of a known type, indicated diagrammatically at 0, in which it is dried by heating, and any finely disintegrated material may be dusted on the rod before drying if such material is to be incorporated with the coating.

If a powder is to be applied, it may conveniently be dealt with by a similar appli` ance to that above referred to. Such an apparatus is indicated in Fig. 4, combined with an vapparatus as in Fig. 1 for applying a fluid coating to the rod. The apparatus at the left hand side in Fig. 4 is the same as is shownvin Fig. 1, and is lettered to The rod f, after leaving the fitting ,6, passes on through another fittings in which a dusting material or powder is applied to it. This material is contained in a vessel p, and isl stirred up to form a dust cloud therein by.

means of beaters g on a. shaft driven from any suitable source of power, not shown. The dust cloud, containing the particles of dust mixed with or carried in suspension in air, is drawn out by means of a fan r, which corresponds in its function with the slower pump c, in delivering the stream of dustladen air to the fitting s through the pipes as shown. A second fan t, which runs faster than fan 7' or is otherwise arranged to draw more air than is delivered by fan 1*, draws off'l the stream of air from fitting s, and also draws in some air around the rod f where kit passesl into and out of the said fitting, so

that none of the dust can escape except that which is securely applied to and adheres to the coating on rod j.. The fan t delivers the stream of air through the pipes back to the vessel p, where the excess air drawn in at the fitting s escapes through a screen of gauze u of fine mesh, fine enough to prevent escape of the particles of dust in suspension in the air in said vessel.

Fig. 4 also shows plain feed rolls .e used in place of the grooved feed rolls n of Fig. 1, the rolls z being set at an angle to the axis of the rod f, so that they twist the rod f as they feed it forward, as indicated by the arrows. india-rubber or other resilient material in order to grip the rod effectively for feeding purposes.

Further, in Fig. 4 is illustrated the application of a wrapped coating such as a tape o to the rod. This is applied from reels rw carried on a revoluble head the tapes or the like being wrapped around the coated rod f ,in this case after the dusting material has been applied thereto in fitting s. Obviously the tapes might be applied directly to the rod by the same mechanism directly after it leaves the fitting e in Fig. 1.

It will be obvious that lmany modifications may be made in the design and construction or arrangement of the mechanism hereinbefore described, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Wherever the term coating is used in this specification, it includes of course impregnating or treating with fluids for any suitable purpose and it depends on the nature of the article treated and the fluid applied, whether the latter remains on the surface as a true coating, or soaks into the article, vor reacts therewith chemically or otherwise.

Having thus described my invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, I declare that `what I claim is 1. Apparatus for applying a coating to an article such as a bar, rod,tube and so forth, said apparatus comprising a hollow fitting having apertures therein through which the They may be covered with r article may pass longitudinally with some clearance, a vessel adapted to contain the coating material, and a circulating system including said Vessel and saidfitting, and including also means4 for circulating the coating material. around the said system, said circulating means being designed to draw in air around the article being coated, at the apertures of the said tting, as well as to draw away excess of the coating material from said tting. y

2. Apparatus for applying a coating mal terial to an article such as a bar, rod, tube by the said suction feeding means is enabled and so forth, said apparatus comprising a hollow fitting with apertures therein through which thearticle is adapted to pass longitudinally with some clearance, feeding means for supplying the coating material to the interior of said fitting, and suction means for drawing out the coating material from said tting, said suction means being adapted to draw fluid from the fitting at a faster rate than that at which the coating material is supplied by the feeding means, whereby also air is drawn in around the article at the apertures of the fitting.

3. Apparatus for applying a coating ma-` terial to an article such as a bar, rod, tube and so forth, said apparatus comprising a fitting with apertures therein through which the article is adapted to pass longitudinally with some clearance, a vessel for containing the coating material, means for supplying the coating material from said vessel and for delivering it to the interior of the said fitting, a' pipe leading out from said fitting back to the said vessel, and suction feeding means insaid pipe adapted to draw fiuid out of said fitting at a faster rate than that at which the coating material is supplied thereto, and thus to draw in air around the article at the apertures of the fitting, whereto return the residual coating material which has not adhered to the article back to the vessel togetherwith any air drawn in at the apertures of the fitting.

4. Apparatus for applying a coating material to an article such as a bar, rod, tube and so forth, said apparatus comprising a hollow fitting with apertures therein through which the article is adapted to pass longitudinally with some clearance, a vessel for containing the coating material, a pipe leading from said vessel to said fitting, a pump in said pipe, another pipe leading back from said fitting to said vessel, and a pump in said second pipe, said second mentioned pumphaving a higher rate of delivery than said firstmentioned pump, whereby air is caused to be drawn in at the apertures of the fitting around the article to which the coating material is applied.

5. Apparatus for applying a coating to an article such as a bar, rod, tube and soforth,

said apparatus comprising a hollow fitting having apertures therein through which the cle through the said fitting during the coating operation, a vessel adapted to contain the coating material, and a circulating system including said vessel and said tting, and including also means for circulating the coating material around the said system, said circulating means being designed to draw in air around the article being coated, at the apertures of the said fitting, as well l,as to draw away excess of the coating material from said' fitting.

6. Apparatus for applying a coating to an article such as a bar, rod, tube and so forth, said apparatus comprising a hollow fitting having apertures therein through which the article may pass longitudinally with some clearance, a set of feed rolls disposed lat an angle such that they will feed the article through the said fitting VWhile also turning it on its axis as it passes therethrough, a vessel adapted to contain the coating material, and a circulating system including said vessel and said tting, and

including also means for circulating the coating material around the said system, said circulating means being designed to draw in air around the article being coated, at the apertures of the said fitting, as well as to draw away excess of the coating material from said fitting.

7 In combination, two sets of apparatus for applying coatings to an article such as a bar, rod, tube and so forth, the rst said apparatus vbeing adapted to apply a Huid coating to said article, and the second said apparatus comprising a hollow fitting through which the article is passed after leaving the rst said set of apparatus, means for supplying a dusting material in suspension to said fitting, and means for drawing out a current of air 4from said fitting at a faster rate than that at which the suspension of dusting material is supplied thereto, whereby also some air is drawn in at the apertures of the fitting through which the article passes.

8. Apparatus for applying coating materials to an article such as a bar, rod, tubeand so forth, said apparatus comprising a vessel and means for circulating the suspension of ulverulent material through the second said tting, said circulating means furthe suspension of pulverulent material being also 5 of such a character as to draw in' air at apertures of said second fitting, as Well as drawing away from the said fitting any excess of said suspension with any particles of the pulverulent material which have not adhered to the coating material applied to the 10 surface of the article in the first mentioned fitting.

WILLIAM L. COLE. 

